Former FDLR Commander’s Wife Says She Was Not Kidnapped by RDF

Protogène Ruvugayimikore, widely known as Colonel Ruhinda Gaby, was once a central figure within the leadership of the FDLR armed group and commanded its elite unit, CRAP (Commando de Recherche et d’Action en Profondeur).

He was killed in December 2023 in Masisi Territory, North Kivu Province, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), in what former FDLR members describe as an internal betrayal.

Born in 1970 in the former Segiteri Mwiyanike, Karago Commune in north-western Rwanda, now part of Karago Sector in Nyabihu District, Ruhinda left his veterinary studies during the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi to join the former Rwandan Armed Forces. After Rwanda’s liberation in July 1994, he fled to eastern DRC.

While millions of Rwandan refugees began returning home in 1997 and 1998, Ruhinda remained in Masisi and joined the ALiR rebel movement, which later became the FDLR. He rose through the ranks and eventually led the group’s commando forces.

He married Rwandan national Claudine Mukamana in 2001 when she was 19. Despite strict FDLR bans on marriage that saw him punished, the family settled in Masisi before later relocating to Rutshuru and subsequently Goma.

According to KT Press, several senior FDLR members had placed their families in Goma when AFC/M23 forces captured the city on January 27. Mukamana and her children remained there, and that moment marked the beginning of her decision to return to Rwanda.

Her choice to stay in Goma during the takeover sparked suspicion within FDLR circles, with rumors accusing her of spying for Rwanda. Many acquaintances cut off contact, including by changing their phone numbers. Mukamana says she continues to fear for the safety of her eldest daughter, who still lives in Goma.

In March 2025, anti-Rwanda activists in Europe circulated false claims that Mukamana, her seven children and a grandchild had been abducted in Goma by Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) soldiers alongside AFC/M23 fighters.

After months of misinformation, Mukamana publicly refuted the allegations, asserting that she voluntarily returned to Rwanda with her children in search of peace and stability.

She describes life in Rwanda as a dramatic change from years of insecurity in eastern DRC. “I have gone months without hearing gunshots,” she said. “For the first time in my life, I can be free from fear. There is peace here. My children feel safe, they have friends and they are back in school. My heart is finally calm.”

Mukamana is among a growing number of Rwandans who have returned home since the AFC/M23 takeover of Goma, many expressing relief after long being held hostage by the FDLR.

The United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, is facilitating these returns, placing families in transit centers such as Nkamira in Rubavu District and Nyarushishi in Rusizi District as they prepare to reintegrate into normal life